The Definitive 1000 Songs Of All Time 1955 to 2005: Number 820

Number 820

James Taylor

"Carolina"

(1968)

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Genre:Singer / Songwriter

Vietnam was mayhem and chaos, it threw a country into self turmoil and rebellion, music back then in '68 was radical and loud.

Then along comes James Taylor with his accoustic guitar, singing love, peace and loss, while his voice you could swear, was singing to your soul rather than your ears.

In todays terms i guess its the equvillant to James Blunt and the phony terrorist war/Iraq scene. (I am starting to believe we are really in the "Matrix")

For James Taylor excellent bio click this link... James Taylor (for the abridged read below)

"When people use the term "singer/songwriter" (often modified by the word "sensitive") in praise or in criticism, they're thinking of

James Taylor. In the early '70s, when he appeared with his introspective songs, acoustic guitar, and calm, understated singing style, he mirrored a generation's emotional exhaustion after tumultuous times. Just as Bing Crosby's reassuring voice brought the country out of the Depression and through World War II, Taylor's eased the transition from '60s activism and its attendant frustrations into the less political, more inward-looking '70s. He was rewarded with a series of hit albums and singles (surprisingly, many of the latter were covers of old songs rather than his own compositions), and he managed to survive his initial fame to achieve lasting popularity"
"By 1968, Taylor had become addicted to heroin. In an attempt to overcome his addiction, he moved to London, where he submitted a demo tape to Peter Asher, former member of Peter and Gordon, then working for the Beatles' Apple Records label. As a result, Taylor was signed to Apple and recorded his debut solo album, James Taylor, released in the U.K. in December 1968 and in the U.S. in February 1969. Initially, it received little attention."

"Sweet Baby James. It was released in February 1970 and became a major success during the course of the year, spurred by the single "Fire and Rain," a song that reflected on his experiences in mental institutions, which peaked in the top five in October, the same month that Sweet Baby James achieved the same status on the LP charts. With that, interest in Taylor's first album was re-stimulated, and it belatedly reached the charts along with the single "Carolina on My Mind," as did James Taylor and the Original Flying Machine - 1967, a short collection of unfinished recordings made by his '60s band. Sweet Baby James then spawned a second hit single, "Country Road," which peaked in the Top 40 in March 1971. The same month, Taylor appeared on the cover of Time magazine, touted as the founder and leading proponent of the "singer/songwriter" trend in popular music."

For Bing Crosby see Number 750

What does RS think of Mr Taylor?

James Taylor was the archetypal "sensitive" singer/songwriter of the '70s. His songs, especially his early ones, were tales of inner torment delivered in low-key tunes featuring Taylor's understated tenor and his intricate acoustic guitar accompaniments that drew on folk and jazz. Taylor came across as relaxed, personable, and open; he was imitated by a horde of would-be confessionalists, although his best songs were as artful as they were emotional. They weren't folk songs; they were pop compositions with folk dynamics, and in them Taylor put across more bitterness and resignation than reassurance. As he continued to record, Taylor split his albums between cover singles that were hits ("Handy Man," "You've Got a Friend") and his own songs, maturing into a laid-back artist with a large and devoted following of baby boomers. ~ [Source: Rolling Stone]

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Dont ask) and the Album ranked at Number (So what if he is on the cover of Time Magazine)

This song has a crowbarred rating of 62.8 out of 108

James Taylor - Carolina in my mind
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